QuestionI have a 2008 Honda Accord coupe that I had the following installed in. Rockford Fosgate 3sixty.2, 4 ga. wiring kit to a 1 farad cap., 8 ga. wire from the cap. to 2 Rockford Fosgate T400-4 amps(one for mids and highs, and one bridged to power the 2 4 ohm 10" subs.
When I would first get in the car I could play the stereo at about half volume for about 20 minutes then the bass would fade out a little. I could readjust my settings and get the volume back to the same level and then about 15 minutes later the volume would swell back up. After that it would sometimes fade back out and other times stay the same, and sometimes never come back in at all. The amp never lit up the thermal light, and never really got hot to the touch.
I thought it was the 3sixty.2 so I bought a new head unit replacing the factory unit, and removed the 3sixty. It still did the same thing. I then thought it was the amps so I bought a Boston gt-50 like I had put in my wife's car replacing 2 amps with one 5 channel. It is still doing the same thing, and driving me crazy.
Any thoughts as to what the problem might be? Any help would be much appreciated.
The guys that installed all this seem to think that my car doesn't produce enough power to run the stereo and the car electronics, and the amp is sensing the power difference and trying to regulate itself or something like that. I believe that is total B.S. plus the cap. shows 14.1 almost all the time. My current thought is maybe the rca cables for the sub channel since that is the only channel affected by this, but I have no idea and am tired of spending money changing components only to find that is not the problem.
AnswerOf course, it could be a bad ground.
That said:
He could be (and probably is) correct about the 'car' (the charging system.. specifically the alternator) not producing enough current.
He IS talking about current and NOT voltage, so your note about 14.1 vdc at the cap is not really an issue.
From what I can find online, the factory (or OEM) alternator is only rated at 80 amps (some of the OEM replacements are 90 and 105 amps).
The issue is whether or not the alternator can provide everything the car needs AND everything the stereo system needs at the same time.
One of your R/F T400 amps is rated at 80 Amps (40x2 ATC fuses). This means that the factory alternator IS NOT strong enough to run even one amp, much less 2 or more.
REF:
http://www.rockfordfosgate.com/rftech/library/2005/3_Amplifiers/1230_51197_01_RF...
If your lights dim at night with the stereo turned up, you need more alternator to avoid a possible fire or system/vehicle damage.
Your cap only allows the charging system to feed shorts bursts of current to the amps when needed.
Sadly, he is not bs'ing you and a 100% cure (using one alternator) is not feasible since you need 160 ampere capacity just for the two t400's.
I did find a 180 amp replacement alternator you can look at here:
http://www.maniacelectricmotors.com/2020hoac2180.html
That 180 amp one will give you at least an additional 100 amperes to 'play with' which would be more than enough for one T400 at RMS wattage levels.
Though the mids and highs probably will not pull 80A, the subs may easily pull 40+ amperes by themselves.
From what I have read, I can guarantee you that the factory alternator will not be adequate for even one t400 at RMS levels.
I would suggest a new alternator AND re-doing the system so it runs from one 5 channel amp or one t400 if possible.
*Your installer should have known better than to throw 200 amps worth of system into the vehicle on a factory charging system! It can be dangerous and very lack luster. At the very least it is not a good way to build clientele.
JM
